Natural History Museum

The fossilized skeleton of an Aulophyseter, an extinct genus of sperm whale, is partly encased in a mesh form indicating the contours of its body and suspended from the ceiling.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A herd of ancient skeletons is part of the “Age of Mammals” display.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Museum officials are going after the “wow factor” in the new exhibit, which features a taxidermic Sumatran tiger, plains zebra and alpaca, among other mammals. Nearby, interactive kiosks encourage visitors to do on-the-spot research about mammals on display.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The renovated exhibit space includes the fossilized skeleton of a Neohipparion, center, an ancient three-toed horse.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A taxidermic polar bear is sort of a call to action at the end of an exhibition designed, as a museum official says, “to explain what happened over 65 million years, why it happened, where humans fit into that and what it means to us today.”  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The fossilized skeleton of a Notharctus, an extinct genus of small primates that shares many similarities with modern lemurs, is poised on a branch in the exhibit.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The ancient and the modern meet in the new exhibit on mammals at the Natural History Museum.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The sweeping exhibition tracks the evolution of mammals through epochal changes in geology and climate. The mezzanine area explores “how we know what we know,” a museum official says.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The exhibit features an ancient ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis). Many of the fossils came from Rancho La Brea.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A detail of the fossilized skeleton of an ancient sperm whale in the exhibit.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The ancient skeleton of an Allodesmus, an extinct genus of pinniped, appears to be swimming.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The museum’s rotunda has been meticulously restored to its former glory. It will offer an installation of historical curiosities and paintings of mammals through the ages by American artist Charles R. Knight.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A giant banner promotes the new exhibit at the Los Angeles museum. Officials hope to transform the institution, which many Angelenos perceive of as a stodgy old fixture, into an exciting museum for the 21st century.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)